As a homeowner or a potential home buyer it’s important to be aware of the things that have an impact on what the term homeowner actually means. Over the years and even centuries owning a home has come to mean an increasing number of features can be expected in your possession and at your convenience.

Indoor plumbing and central heating go back to the basics of what it is to have a house and to make it a cozy home. There are many other things that have made life at home more comfortable such as vacuum cleaners and refrigerators. We can all too easily discount that there was a time when we did without them and take them for granted.

The Internet Of Things Is Getting In Everything

The next big innovation in the conveniences of the home are likely to come as part of the emerging trend of all appliances and machinery to include electronic monitoring gear and software that can connect it directly into the Internet. This potential of connecting everything to everything else is referred to as the Internet of Things. It has been building momentum in recent years and it could easily become an accepted part of the home in the near future.

The possibilities include the connection of all heating, air conditioning and the rest of your home’s utilities. Other appliances will be connected wirelessly and so your Wi-Fi router will become another vital appliance, the hob of the network of everything that is connected in your house.

The Internet of Things will give you immediate access to vast amounts of information about the state of each appliance or piece of furniture, warning of failures and energy usage. You won’t have to be at home to utilize such features. By connecting through the appropriate app you will have it all at your fingertips, even when you vacation on the other side of the world. It is likely that your refrigerator will soon be able to inventory its contents and alert you to replace anything in short supply. A more extreme possibility is that you could select options that allow the fridge to contact the supermarket on your behalf and make the order directly.

Living In Public

The downside of the Internet of things is that we could be tracked so completely that our every move is noted and logged. Whether it is by the range in the kitchen, the air-conditioning in the living room or a humble lamp in the back bedroom.

IN spite of that privacy invasion the Internet of Things promises to have such complete coverage of everyone’s lives that it will be like you are in a cocoon of electronic tracking. This is something that new homes will have as standard. For some people this may be less appealing but still it may become an important factor in creating the most modern curb appeal for your property. Millennial new homebuyers may be much more comfortable with total envelopment by the Internet of Things than the rest of us but we need to consider the potential benefits going forward.

If you are considering buying or selling in the near future the Internet of Things is a topic that you should discuss early in the process with your realtor. The possibilities and trends are evolving so rapidly that you will need to be aware of what to look out for and what to offer buyers as high-tech incentives that might be all the difference in how quickly you sell and the price that you can agree in negotiations.